Pontefract castle medieval games

While not always finding themselves on the right side of the various power struggles of the period, the Lacy family by and large remained in residence at Pontefract, if sometimes as tenants of the King rather than owners.

With the accession of the Lancastrians to the throne, Pontefract quickly began to hold a key position in the north of England, growing in size and importance whilst other castles nearby dwindled. Pontefract remained a Lancastrian stronghold during the Wars of the Roses.

When Edward II crushed his opposition, Thomas of Lancaster was executed here, and throughout the Wars of the Roses many rebels were put to death at the site. Today Pontefract Castle hold but a shadow of its former glory. Pontefract itself was once a traditional coal mining town and the Prince of Wales Colliery was one of the oldest mines and the last to be shut down. Jobs are now largely centred around the tourist industry although Leeds is recognised as a leading financial centre.

Pontefract accommodation is cheap when compared to the rest of the UK but standards are just as high and guests are guaranteed a friendly Yorkshire welcome! Next door to the visitors centre is the ladies toilet in which has been heard the sound sometimes of a girl crying and at other times screaming!

Cavaliers have been seen coming up from the underground magazine and on top of the keep, the spectre of a man dressed in black has been seen reading a parchment. Pontefract Castle Pontefract Castle was built around the time of AD by a knight named Ilbert de Lacy on land granted him by William the Conqueror in reward for support given during the Norman conquests. Considering there is no cost to enter Pontefract Castle, the playpark was suprisingly modern and of a good quality. With a large climbing frame, a couple of slides and some other bits and bobs, the play area is a very nice addition to the castle.

Oaklie certainly enjoyed it and I only just managed to get her away with promises of finding the king!

Prior to exploring the Castle grounds I decided to have a quick look inside the visitors centre. Having been demolished in after the civil war, it takes a bit of imagination to work out where everything would have been. The largest past of the castle that remains is three cylindrical towers which formed part of the original keep.

Where you enter today is where a Barbican would have been situated, at the most southern point of the castle complex. This would have given access to the middle bailey, with the main castle walls situated to your left, and the third bailey to you right at the bottom of the hill. The internal bailey beyond the castle walls would have been accessed by a massive gatehouse which would have been dominated by two towers. Only a tiny section of the gatehouse remains. After using the map to get my barings, we made our way up past the keep and Northwards into the inner bailey.

The inner bailey is a very vast space and would have been bubbling with life back in the middle ages. This would have been completely surrounded by the massive castle walls which would have been dominated by around nine giant towers. Although the walls are all but rubble today, it is possible to appreciate the strategic position of the castle with superb views over Yorkshire in all directions. We took the footpath counter clockwise around the inner ward.

Although the walls were originally made from wood, like many castles of the time they would probably have been slowly converted into stone in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

As you approach the North Eastern part of the bailey there is clear evidence of several other buildings. As well as the Constable Tower, you can see where an Elizabethan Chapel once stood, a Norman Chapel which was adapted from a previous Saxon church, and also the Great Hall.

We continued our way around, occasionally using the viewing platforms to admire the views, and reading the handily placed plaques which were very helpfully brought the castle to life. One of the largest concentrations of structures still partially visible today is situated within the North West of the Castle Complex.

The bakehouse is easy to make out for example, and you can even see parts of the ancient ovens. The most impressive part of the castle however has to be the keep. The giant mound that once supported the massive tower is visible from every part of the inner bailey. Furthermore, the most substantial part of castle still in existence today can be found in the towers which made up the keep. You can climb up to the top of the motte by using two sets of stairs from the bailey. However if you really want to appreciate the scale of the keep, you need to pass over the castle walls and approach it from the North West.

What remains of the keep today is parts of three of the four original cylindrical towers. Apparently one likely inspired the other. What I found fascinating to learn was that the Keep was actually built around the original Norman Motte.